Production of rutile from ilmenite by room temperature ball-milling-induced sulphurisation reaction

Rutile (TiO2) was produced at room temperature from mineral ilmenite (FeTiO3) by high energy ball milling of an ilmenite-sulphur mixture. A mechanochemical reaction sulphurisation of iron in ilmenite producing TiO2 and FeS2, occurred during the milling process. During the subsequent annealing, the nanocrystalline TiO2 obtained from milling recrystallised and FeS2 decomposed at 600 degrees C. Pure TiO2 powder was obtained by a simple selective chemical leaching with HCl acid solution. The results indicate that mechanochemistry is a useful room temperature process of material production.